How do you upgrade a tattoo computer?

[jeff_wilson]

Originally Posted by Ze'Manel Cunha

That seems pretty arbitrarily short-sighted for no particular reason.

A modular, checklist design system doesn't imply a modular construction or expandability. The ability to easily add features is itself a feature that is marginally more difficult or costly to include, or otherwise involves a tradeoff.

Originally Posted by Ze'Manel Cunha

In a setting with tat computers it's just as likely that they'd be built like blade servers, with each X mms of circuitry counting as a blade rack, which would mean adding another tatoo could very well be the equivalent of adding another rack of 128, 256, 512 blades, etc., depending on tech.

More blades are analagous to the High Capacity modifier.

[Ze'Manel Cunha]

Originally Posted by jeff_wilson

A modular, checklist design system doesn't imply a modular construction or expandability. The ability to easily add features is itself a feature that is marginally more difficult or costly to include, or otherwise involves a tradeoff.

Again, that's particularly short-sighted for no arbitrary reason, you seem to be confusing your personal setting preferences with our general generic baselines.

Originally Posted by jeff_wilson

More blades are analagous to the High Capacity modifier.

Yes, that's what we're saying.

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by David Latapie

Good point, save maybe for the "it's permanent" part.

Since when is it permanent? It's hardly more effort to remove an old tattoo computer and replace it with a new one (or something else) than it is to install the first one. I would expect upgrading tattoo computers to be similar to upgrading other sorts of electronics: mostly a matter of replacing it with a new and better model.

[jeff_wilson]

Originally Posted by Ze'Manel Cunha

Again, that's particularly short-sighted for no arbitrary reason, you seem to be confusing your personal setting preferences with our general generic baselines.

Can you cite where the general generic baseline includes expandability?

[wellspring]

My computer is running a little slow these days. Can someone direct me to where I can buy the Genius upgrade for it? Oh, and considering the state of the US electrical infrastructure's resistance to EMP, I want Hardened as well.

And which port do I plug those upgrades into?

[starslayer]

Originally Posted by wellspring

My computer is running a little slow these days. Can someone direct me to where I can buy the Genius upgrade for it? Oh, and considering the state of the US electrical infrastructure's resistance to EMP, I want Hardened as well.

And which port do I plug those upgrades into?

Your second PCI-E slot can take a floating point co-processor; of course very little software is built to make use of a video card to boost processing power, but some is, the results are fantastic, and it would most likely qualify as 'genius' due to having a separate, faster, dedicated processor in the same form factor (at the expense of much higher power consumption and waste heat). Installing a UPS and wrapping the whole thing in copper mesh will provide EMP hardening.

High end video card $500
UPS $200
Copper mesh $200

I charge $35/hr and you'll have to get the computer to me on your own dime.

In short: That was a terrible example. I actually support the 'tattoo computers won't be upgraded, or built for upgrading' stance, but personal computers ARE built for exactly that.

[jeff_wilson]

Originally Posted by starslayer

In short: That was a terrible example. I actually support the 'tattoo computers won't be upgraded, or built for upgrading' stance, but personal computers ARE built for exactly that.

I'm mostly in agreement. Many personal computers are built for some sorts of expansion, thus the slots. Many also are not, and you can often see on the mainboard where connectors and other components were left uninstalled so that a cheaper, less expandable version could be offered. Simllers sizes of systems have less or even no expandability (all the bazillions of embedded systems), while larger systems are often so expensive that their "expandability" is more of deal where you can buy the rack and fill it with components as your needs grow. The supernice video cards you mention are likewise special-purpose computers that

But none of the above allow retrofitting Complexity increases for the difference in price, and all of them cost more to make than an unexpandable system that does the same amount of computing at the same rate. The supernice video cards probably qualify for higher Complexity but that Complexity is not useful for all programs; that's part of the reason why very little software is written to take advantage of it.

But I'm working on it, literally.

[vierasmarius]

Originally Posted by jeff_wilson

But none of the above allow retrofitting Complexity increases for the difference in price, and all of them cost more to make than an unexpandable system that does the same amount of computing at the same rate. The supernice video cards probably qualify for higher Complexity but that Complexity is not useful for all programs; that's part of the reason why very little software is written to take advantage of it.

Well, you've convinced me. If I run UT I'll probably be using the expanded complexity rules from Pyramid 3/37, which changes it to x100 processing power per +1 instead of just x10. The upgrade options you're commenting on would probably count as some combination of Advanced, Heavy Duty and/or Multiple Core. As you mention, upgrading may be more expensive than buying a computer with all the options built-in, or building a new one from scratch.

But I'm working on it, literally.

Oh, now that's just awesome! ^_^

[Ze'Manel Cunha]

Originally Posted by jeff_wilson

Can you cite where the general generic baseline includes expandability?

Where the setting has tattoo computers and people choose to start up with a bit of smart ink which grows to full body art over time as resources allow, just like normal ink bods only with comps added.

Of course this means that the tattoo artist is as much of a ware artist as he is an inker, but that's sort of expected.

[jeff_wilson]

Originally Posted by Ze'Manel Cunha

Where the setting has tattoo computers and people choose to start up with a bit of smart ink which grows to full body art over time as resources allow, just like normal ink bods only with comps added.

Of course this means that the tattoo artist is as much of a ware artist as he is an inker, but that's sort of expected.

That's fine, but it means that in that setting tattoo computers' cost and weight will need be set with consideration of both the "printable" and "upgradedable" options.